On Thin Ice
by fetherhd
Summary: Chaos is on thin ice both mentally and physically. Does Cid have what it takes to pull him out of a downward spiral before something tragic happens? Rated M mostly for Cids mouth and hints of a male/male pairing. Nothing explicit.


Many will have noticed that my fan fics seem to have appeared and then disappeared. For a long time now I have been very discouraged about writing fan fiction, recieving a lot of pressure from family about it being a total waste of my time. I had come to the point that I agreed with them and I pulled my fanfics in order to concentrate on original writing. Recently...I was told by another wonderful fan fic writing that it was "The Orphans of Cerberus" that inspired her to take up creative writing again. This was a bombshell to me as I had not realized that my "silly little waste if time" stories might be the catalyst that inspires one of the futures great writers. Be patient with me...my stories are going back up but I do have to edit "Orphans" to stay with in FF's Maturity guidelines. The unedited version can be found on Adult fan fiction. Thank you in advance for your patience!

This one shot is a collaboration with VinValen. It takes place in her "Stones" verse. If you haven't read this wonderful Valenwind take a moment and do so. It is wonderfully written. We have collaborated several times now on DeviantArt and It is always a blast to write with her. She has been offline for a while now. I hope she returns so that we can do this again! Square Enix holds all rights to the FFVII world and its characters. We just took them out to play for a while. I have marked this mature mainly because of Highwind's mouth. There is nothing explicit in here.

On Thin Ice

Captain Cidney Highwind knew that there were people out there who considered him stark raving mad. After all, he had been with the group that had taken down Sephiroth, not once but twice. He was married to a man who housed four deadly demons in his very soul….not to mention said spouse was the only "retired" Turk in history! AND as if this wasn't enough….the Captain made his living flying an airship of his own design across the globe…sometimes in weather that would scare the scales off of a behemoth. This was one of those times and right at the moment, while he wrestled with the helm as the Highwind bucked against the wind, Cid was inclined to agree with the masses rather astute assessment of his sanity.

"Mother Fucking Gia…come on ya bitch…is it to much to ask for ya….SHIT!" The man's soft tirade was cut off as the wheel wrenched itself out of his grip, a couple of the hard wood spokes slammed into his ribcage as the ship heeled over wildly.

Still swearing, strong hands regained their grip and the Captain hauled the errant craft around through sheer strength alone. Damn it…the ship was telling him in every way that she could that he had no business keeping his baby up in the air during this bitch of a northern storm. Normally he listened when his craft was trying to tell him something but this time…he had no choice but to ignore her.

Chaos had been acting strange in the last few months; seeming to be almost despondent. When this storm had first rolled in, it had not seemed to be anything more that a late winter blow. Vincent had let his eldest loose to go storm dancing…something that had always worked to pick the demon's spirits up. Unfortunately, the storm had rapidly degenerated into a freaking monster of a nor'easter and Chaos had been swallowed by it now for three full days. Something was terribly wrong.

Wincing as his ribs protested the movement, Cid eased the big ship lower, blue eyes searching through the blowing snow. The land was cut here by a deep, rather narrow canyon; there was a possibility that the demon had taken shelter in there. Nudging the Highwind a little closer, the man sucked in an uneasy breath. Snow had built up on the cliff side that was catching the wind…developing into a deep, unstable overhang. As his narrowed eyes studied that deadly trap, the Captain went cold at a sudden thought. There was no way the demon would have been that careless…was there? Humming softly, he turned the ship to run parallel to the canyon and soon had his answer. Something had dislodged a huge section of the snow and ice at the end of the canyon. It had rolled off of the cliff, than been funneled down the canyon in the form of a killer avalanche…if Chaos had been caught while engaged in a low level run….SHIT…the demon could very well be buried down there. Well… there was nothing for it but to get the Highwind down and anchored and go in on foot.

By the time his crew got the airship landed and secured…Cid knew that he was running out of daylight. Still… he suited up to go out and search anyways…just the thought of Chaos (Vincent) possibly trapped, buried beneath tons of freezing death made the risk of going out into the storm acceptable. An hour later, he was second guessing his decision as he huddled against some trees that had been buried almost up to their scraggly tops, trying to get enough of a wind break to light a smoke. Shit…this was like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack!

Even if Chaos had ended up lying on the surface, snow had been falling steadily for days and even as big as the demon was, he could be buried under several feet of the wind driven stuff. Speaking of wind…there was no way he was going to get his smoke lit. With a sigh…the man slipped his lighter back into a pocket and plucked the cigarette out from between his cold lips. Only to curse as the wind snatched it out of fingers gone stiff and sent it skittering across the snow. He was about to chalk it up as lost when it caught on the tip of an odd triangular drift…then rolled down to settle at its base.

Years of flying had trained the pilot's eye to pick out small irregularities in terrain. Because of this Cid immediately recognized that unusual feature as not belonging to the landscape. Snow-drifted trees made strange shapes, but nothing like this. With determination and hope and giving no further thought to the wayward cigarette except in being grateful it had drawn his weary gaze to something he might otherwise have missed, Cid almost lunged in its' direction.

Stumbling through the uneven trail of the avalanche, Cid moved as quickly as he could, trying to get close enough to tell if the shape he'd seen was indeed the exposed tip of a buried wing, and if it was, that it was still attached to its owner. Chaos had remarkable powers of self-healing; but he could only heal what was still a part of his body.

In the time he'd been trying to avoid the sick feeling of dread, Cid had managed to work his way closely enough to see that there were patches of familiar color through the coating of ice that covered the shape he'd seen. When he saw these, the feeling of relief that he'd found this much made him almost nauseous. The man refused to even consider that his search might still be in vain. He made himself stop several feet away however, trying to determine from the wingtip's angle which way the rest of Chaos might be lying. He certainly didn't want to end up walking over the top of him, and the snow was so uneven it was impossible to tell just by looking.

"Fuck it." Highwind dropped his backpack and dug out a shovel. Only the Gods knew how long the demon had been entombed and how much damage a solid freezing would cause his immortal body. Setting the shovel aside, he would use it when he was a little more sure of where flesh ended and ice began…the Captain knelt and removing his goggles, used them to carefully start scraping compacted snow and ice away for that single, delicate wing.

Cid could barely feel his fingers by the time he had dug far enough to be able to see the elbow joint of Chaos' wing, but at least it let him know that he had not been making a bad situation worse by pressing his own weight down upon the buried demon. Feeling confident enough to employ the folding shovel in his efforts, he soon dug down far enough to expose a shoulder, and then the demon's face. From there it became at least a little easier, and he soon had a reasonable angle to work with in uncovering the other wing. He hoped Chaos wouldn't make any sudden movements, his attempts to free himself could very easily damage the one still buried. (Not to mention one half frozen flyboy!) The pilot spared a moment to be thankful that the wing he'd already uncovered was not broken, but he could almost guarantee it was badly wrenched. At least he hadn't found blood...yet.

The pilot was down on his knees in a hole six foot deep straddling the demon's broad chest as he dug the narrow hips out when five daggers closed over his shoulder. Even over the muffled howl of the wind the soft growl that accompanied that grip was well heard. Cid had seen Chaos crush the skull of a bandersnitch one handed once…he wisely froze. His mouth on the other hand was very busy.

"HEY long, tall and friggin ugly…lest there be a fricken REASON that you want to be found next spring, hugging my Gods be damned dead, frozen body in yer loving embrace…ya might just want ta let go of my arm!"

For a moment, that hand tried to tighten and Highwind found that he was suddenly very alarmed as the demon grunted and the usually punishing grip dropped weakly away. The man cautiously looked over his shoulder. His blue eyes took in the demon's glazed, half opened yellow eyes…and he hastily shifted around till he was facing the front. Chaos gave a half-hearted snarl and tried to shift underneath him. There was no recognition at all in the demon's wary gaze. The usually powerful body moving weakly beneath him revealed the reason why…Cid winced at the sight of dark blood that had pooled under the demon's head. That also explained why Chaos hadn't just blasted his way out of here!

Whatever had done such damage to the demon had to have been huge, incredibly hard, or possibly both. Cid guessed a boulder or a large chunk of solid ice broken away from the overhang that had started this mess, and as all avalanches went, traveling at incredible speed. A head injury was a head injury, no matter whose hard head it was, and the pilot could only be grateful that Vincent hadn't been shocked into shifting back into human form when whatever it was hit; a blow like that would have killed him. Even so, it made Cid wonder if Vincent hadn't been the one in control when everything went to shit and if Chaos had been the one to force the shift in order to protect his Host. Either way, that question could wait. Right now, Cid was in a very dangerous position. If he couldn't get Chaos to recognize who he was, the demon could still easily kill him, even in this weakened state. And so he did the only thing he could think of...he kept talking.

"Mother FUCKING Gia…if yer in there Vince… now would be a hell of a good time ta chat with ole Battly here. I would hate ta end up with my fricken innards decorating the landscape so ta speak just cause of a misunderstanding."

Cid held his breath, as a slight grimace stirred the demon's dark lips and for a precious moment, crimson flecked the dazed gold.

The clawed hand batted at him weakly again, but along with that flash of crimson, it was Vincent's voice that answered him. "Cid?...hurts..."

"Yeah…I know." The pilot carefully caught the clawed hand, those talons were sharp enough to hurt without meaning too. His plan of just toughing it out and dragging Chaos to the ship suddenly changed. If Vincent was admitting that he was in pain…it had to be bad. Cid leaned forward until he was just inches from the demon's grey featured face. He was taking a risk here but he needed to know.

"Vince…it'll be a hell of a lot easier ta get you out of here if you can change."

Those thick black lashes drooped closed for a moment. Highwind HOPED that the man was talking with his eldest. It would be difficult, but he could carry Valentine back to the ship. This hope was dashed in the next moment.

"Too c-cold…Chaos says…..c-c-cause brain d-damage."

FRICK….Cid looked up into the darkening, storm tossed sky. Then back down as those red in gold eyes slipped shut.

"Vince….Chaos…?" Cid lightly slapped one grey cheek…"Come on…one of ya has gotta try and stay awake."

There was a glimmer of gold as Chaos answered, the crimson had disappeared but there was a flash of recognition before the demon groaned and shut his eyes tight.

"Yeah…can't say as that I fricken blame ya, bet ya got the mother of all headaches!"

It took another twenty minutes of digging, grunting and swearing to drag the heavy awkward body out of that deadly pit. Panting, the Captain gently pulled those wide, delicate wings in and tied them closed. He had heard horror stories where frozen appendages had snapped right off. Even without this in mind, the pilot wasn't sure how badly damaged the wings were and did not want them accidentally catching on the trees and bushes while the demon was being slid through the snow. He had passed a small cave hiking in here, had actually stopped and checked it out hoping against all hope to find his lover sheltering there. That's were he was heading…they would ALL be frozen like popsicles if he did not get into some shelter soon.

The cave was smaller than it had seemed when he had hurriedly checked it out earlier. There was just enough room for two cold bodies and MAYBE a bit of a fire. It was full dark before the man got his companion settled inside and then managed to scrape up enough wood to hold them through the night. As the flames licked and caught, Highwind slid out of his heavy coat, and worked it underneath the demon. He did not need what little body heat Chaos might have left being leached away by the cold stone floor.

First things first…the pilot hastily cut the bindings away from those battered wings. The cave was cramped and made even more so by the demon's great wingspan as they relaxed and partially opened. Still the pilot did NOT want Chaos waking up and going ballistic because he thought he was bound. A careful exam of sturdy bone and silken membrane proved that although the flight limbs had taken a terrible beaten and there was frostbite apparent in a spot or two….there was no crippling damage that he could see.

Cid emptied his pack and slipped it under Chaos's head, quick fingers digging in amongst the blood crusted crimson and black to check how badly his skull was cracked. All he found was a cut that no longer bled over one hell of a lump. Good, it seemed that although slowed by the freezing cold…the demon's incredible healing abilities were dealing with the damage.

With a soft sigh of relief…the Captain forced his half frozen fingers to start unstrapping the armor that served to cover most of Chaos body. He had managed to figure out an remove the chest piece and was working at the belts around that slim waist when the demon stirred…sucking in a startled breath.

"WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING HIGHWIND."

Shit…. one of these days his mouth was going to get him killed, but the pilot just could not help himself."Heheheh...Right at the moment...whatever I fricken want...HOLY SHIT... what the fuck do you call that!""WHAT...I AM COLD...THERE IS SUCH A THING AS...SHRINKAGE!""Hell...That's what I was fucking afraid you would say."

At the demon's answering growl…Cid lightly slapped a muscled thigh.

"Don't get yer fricking knickers all up in a twist…It's not like I wanna jump yer bones or anything! I'm Just trying to get yer Gods be Damned armor off so I can get ya all warmed n toasty! Case ya haven't figured it out…you came pretty damn close ta freezing solid. Now lift yer damned hips so I can slide this fucker off."

The demon seemed to hesitate…then with a soft hiss of pain he shifted and allowed the man to remove the cold, wet metal and leather. Cid sat back on his heels for a moment, he had brought blankets, but had not thought to bring any towels. With out thought he pulled his own warm shirt off and started vigorously rubbing the demon's cold whitened skin. His mouth kept moving as he tried to take his patient's (victim's) mind off of the pain of blood returning through frozen veins.

"What I would like ta know... ya dumb ass... is what part of going fricken supersonic in a confined airspace through an avalanche zone seemed like a shitten good idea to ya!"

"I D-D-D-DON'T KNOW HIGHWIND...HONESTLY... AT THE TIME IT JUST SOUNDED LIKE...F-F-FUN…OUCH…HAVE A C-C-CARE SKYRIDER…THAT'S MY S-S_SKIN YOU ARE TRYING TO RUB OFF!"

The Captain grinned.

"Stop whining ya big baby…yer only getting what ya deserve…I swear to the damned Gods, ya idiot...with FIVE of ya living in there, you would THINK that at least ONE of ya would have an ounce of

gods be damned brain matter rattling around in yer heads...YEAH I am fucking talking to you too...Valentine...and I know you can freaking hear me!"

Chaos snorted and for a moment it was Valentine that answered through his lips.

"No I fucking can't hear you. I have snow in my ears" Vincent griped, wishing that this was indeed the case and infinitely glad it was Chaos who was dominant at the moment….and as such the one dealing with the feel of Cid's strong hands rubbing painfully over their chest and arms.

Those hands did not stop as Highwind moved lower, although they did become a bit gentler as he rubbed over ribs that bore the darker colors of serious bruising. Relief shone from the sky blue eyes as Cid realized that Vincent had recovered enough in there to be coherent. This relief made him a little flippant as he worked down over Chaos' groin.

"With all them spikes on yer fool head, it ain't no wonder ya stuck in there like a friggin' fence post! In my opinion…Ass up looks good on the both of ya! Yer lucky I was to cold and tired ta take advant…."

The man's running commentary cut short as a clawed hand closed hard over his wrist.

"DON"T….." The demon's angry tone jerked Cid's gaze up where his complaining hadn't.

"Don't what…" Hell would just be his luck that Vincent's bad ass demon had a nudity taboo. The smile that threatened to break free at this ridiculous thought was frozen to death when he met Chaos gaze.

Those cold amber eyes pinned him and the anger there was enough that the pilot sucked in a startled breath. The dark lips curled in a fang showing sneer.

"DON'T PRETEND THAT YOU CARE….IF VALENTINE WAS NOT A PART OF US…THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO DESPERATE SEARCH, NO RESCUE…WE ARE WELL AWARE OF WHERE YOUR…AFFECTIONS…. LIE, SKY RIDER."

Highwind just stared…for once in his life his mouth failed him. Chaos gave a soft snort…and something that looked a lot like sorrow shifted in that dull gaze.

"WHAT….. NO DENIAL…SAVE IT, I WOULD NOT BELIEVE IT ANYWAYS."

The demon rolled stiffly so that his back was to the man, a dismissal if he had ever seen one. Curling up as best his battered body could, Chaos tried to lift a wing in order to cover himself with it. A soft hiss of pain and the demon settled for carefully tucking it in against his back. Highwind just sat back on his heels and watched until his companion's too slow breathing evened out. Then he carefully retrieved the blankets from where he had put them to warm by the fire and spread them over the demon's quiet form. A small frown marred the Captain's rough features as he surveyed his handy work …then he carefully tweaked a fold so that even the errant wing was covered.

Satisfied that he had done everything he could, Cid leaned against the rough cave wall and allowed himself to rest. The cold and difficulty of getting them to shelter had taken its toll and in spite of himself, the pilot could feel his eyes trying to drift closed. While he still had the presence of mind, he reached for the pack of cigarettes and lighter he'd removed from his coat pocket before using it to cushion Chaos and lit up his long-delayed smoke.

As tired as he was, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay on watch all night and keep the fire tended, but he was also one of those rare people who found it hard to sleep if he got too cold. He would need to awaken quickly if the other needed his help anyway or to add wood to the fire, but he wasn't worried about it. What else he thought he could do under the circumstances, he didn't know, but at least Chaos would know he wasn't alone.

Cid flipped the last of his cigarette into the fire and lay down, spooning himself close to the demon and draping one of Chaos' arms around him so that he would be awakened quickly if the other became restless. Considering the demon's mood this was probably not the smartest place to be, so close within reach of those sharp teeth and claws, but Cid had never been afraid of Chaos before, and he certainly wasn't going to take up the habit now.

This lasted about ten minutes…mother Gia the demon was still fucking FREEZING. Usually being next to Chaos' dark skin was like toasting oneself in front of a roaring fire! Instead, Cid felt as if every bit of his body heat was being sucked away. Highwind rolled over, keen eyes studying the aquiline face that was so close to his. Skin that was normally a soft dove grey…seemed sickly pale in the flickering firelight. SHIT…just the fire and his own body heat were not going to be enough to pull the demon out of hypothermia. Well the Captain knew one way to raise a bodies core temp. and if it were Vincent laying there…hold it….at that errant thought cerulean eyes snapped closed. HELL….was the demon right…? Would he have risked himself and his ship if it had just been Chaos out there?

Cid thought back on everything he knew about Valentine's eldest, which truth be told, wasn't a whole lot. Vincent didn't talk about him often, and even when he did, not at length. Whatever the pilot did know had been gained piecemeal, from careful observation during those times the demon manifested in his presence.

Though it wasn't easy to admit, Cid knew that he demon was right. When had he ever really thought about Chaos as a person with needs and thoughts and feelings of his own? He tended to think of the dangerous, ancient being as a double edged sword; both protector and bane. Cid knew he treated the demon as he did because of Vincent's own ambivalence, something that drew out some of the worst of Cid's often-acidic commentary.

Like it or not, maybe it was time the pilot gave serious thought to his actions; his sharp, too-often thoughtless remarks. Cid knew he hadn't meant anything by it, was reasonably sure that Vincent told Chaos that the pilot didn't mean anything he said when he was on one of his tirades, but…well. Maybe it was time to clear the air a little. If Cid had his way, they were all going to be together for a long time to come. He tucked the blankets tighter around them, making sure the delicate wings were as comfortably placed as they could be, given the circumstances. He scooted as close to the other's body as he possibly could, running his hands roughly over the demon's skin in hopes of chafing some warmth there.

"Look, Chaos…I don't know if you can hear me or not, but just in case ya can, I wanted ya to know that I ain't ever meant any of the hard things I've said about ya. I know ya ain't a bit more happy about being stuck where ya are, but like Vincent, ya ain't got a whole lot of say in it.

Even if ya wasn't a part of him, I'd like to think I woulda come after ya anyway; I owe it to ya for all the times ya kept him safe when I couldn't. I know thirty years stuck in a basement probably ain't a whole lot of time to somebody like ya, but it's a helluva long time for people like us. Ya kept him alive an' sane, an' If it hadn't been for that, I wouldna have met a man who's put up with me even though he didn't have to and seen me as somebody worth keepin' even though he could do a hell of a lot better.

Maybe one of these days, if ya want, ya can tell me what its like for ya, cause I know it ain't been easy. I can't even imagine what all ya have seen, what it's like to know there ain't nobody else like ya, and have to put up with us because we're all there is. Some of these days, I hope ya will wanna tell me about it all, just to know somebody is willin' to listen.

Cid took the chance of reaching out to brush rough fingers against the remarkably soft skin of Chaos' cheekbone. If the demon decided to take half his hand for his gesture, he'd count it as no less than what he deserved. "I reckon what I'm trying to tell ya is to pay me no mind when I say shit. I ain't got a whole lotta sense when it comes to keepin' my mouth shut. Truth is, ya ain't ugly, Chaos…far from it. Ya and Vincent are two of the most beautiful things I ever seen."

There was no sign from the demon that he heard what Cid was saying. Highwind eased himself a little closer….Mother Gia…he truly hoped that what he was about to do was NOT going to get him torn into itty bitty bleeding pieces! Soft lips settled over the lips of the sleeping demon. Cid almost flinched…damned they were fricken cold. (not to mention that he KNEW what kind of hardware was sheathed inside of that surprisingly velvety mouth.) At first he did not think that this was going to work…maybe Vincent's Eldest was too deep into hypothermia to respond in any way. Then Chaos twitched and stiffened up, the pilot risked a quick peek, trying to gauge what this dangerous being's reaction was going to be. The demon's eyes were open and there was anger there….oh SHIT….a swirl of crimson in the gold and Cid realized that Vincent was probably talking fast trying to divert a catastrophe. (Thank you VAMP!) When he wasn't immediately gutted, the pilot deepened the kiss, becoming a little more aggressive in asking to be let in. The ruby highlights disappeared and then the anger just seemed to bleed out of that amber gaze to be replaced by a look of pain that just about ripped the Captain's heart out. For a moment there was nothing reflected there but a terrible, empty loneliness, and oddly… fear. Cid gave the softening mouth a final caress with his tongue, slipping it inside just enough to taste and feel a sharp fang. Then he pulled back, his eyes never leaving those that studied him so intently. A dark tongue slipped out, hesitantly lifting the last of the kiss off of warming lips, then tasting what was being offered. Chaos blinked.

"YOU DON"T HAVE TO DO THIS…. HIGHWIND."

"Like hell….we need ta get yer blood pumping and I can't think of a better way to do it! Sides…I would do this for Vincent…and yer no different as far as I am concerned. We are family….that includes Vincent, Galian, Hellmasker, Gigas and oh yeah….surprise…YOU! So shut the hell up and take it like a man!"

Those golden eyes narrowed and a rather sinister grin stirred the freshly kissed mouth…

"AS YOU ARE SO FOND OF REMINDING ME….I AM NOT A "MAN."

WHAT MAKES YOU THINK…IF…WE PROCEED THAT I SHALL BE THE ONE RECEIVING?"

Cid blinked…then grinned.

"Hey, I ain't got no problem with that, but it's gonna take some shitten work and more hospitable surroundings. You ain't exactly a fricken lightweight ya know."

Sudden crimson flashing in the gold made it apparent that Valentine had entered the conversation. GODS… Cid would have given his left nut to be a fly on the wall during THAT particular conversation.

After a moment, Chaos replied.

"THE HOST…AH …VINCENT IS AGREEABLE IF NOT INTRIGUED…THOUGH I AM SURPRISED THAT YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHT OF THERE BEING A... NEXT... TIME?"

"What did I just tell ya?" The pilot replied less forcefully than he normally would have.

The demon's elegant brow furrowed into a slight frown.

"HUMMM…IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE WITH HUMANS THAT THEIR WORDS ARE BANDIED ABOUT WITH LITTLE SEMBLANCE OF HONOR."

Anger flashed through the man…only to be tempered by the truth that he knew was in those carefully phrased words. After what had been done to him…Chaos had all the reasons in the world to be distrustful.

"Well then…if ya won't take my word for it…I guess I'll have ta let my actions speak for themselves."

Cid pushed lightly on one heavy shoulder and was more than a little surprised when the demon allowed himself to be rolled onto his back. As he settled onto that muscled chest, Highwind's heart almost stopped as one powerful hand stroked up his back and then closed over the back of his neck. He wasn't sure if that gentle grip was a caress or a warning. A slight pressure and Cid allowed his head to be gently pulled down into a kiss. It seemed that this was going to be an exercise in trust for the both of them.

As the storm outside slowly shifted from raging winds, and driving ice…to softly falling snow, the temperature inside that small cave rose in response to a flame that had nothing to do with wood and fire.

Epilogue

Bright sunshine and movement in the small cave pulled Cid out of a warm sound sleep. For a moment…blue eyes blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar surroundings then memories of what had happened during the night drove any vestiges of sleep right out of his mind. Memories of being enfolded in warm arms and a soft wing just before falling into exhausted oblivion had him sitting up as he realized that Chaos was gone. A familiar figure rose from where it had been adding wood to the fire, and crimson eyes warmed with the smile that lifted pale lips.

"You do like to live on the edge…don't you chief?"

Cid sat up rubbing absent mindedly at the back of his neck as he looked around for his smokes.

"Heh…I've spent my whole gods be damned life skating on thin ice…haven't fricken fallen in yet!"

Vincent came around the fire and eased himself stiffly down till he was sitting next to the pilot. He handed the man his pack of cigarettes.

"Just so you know…Chaos says that if you ever do break through…rest assured, we will be there to pull you out and return the favor of…ehem…how did you put it…oh yes…making you all warm and…toasty."

Cid inhaled a lungful of smoke wrong and just about choked to death on it. Memories of some of what had occurred last night rose unbidden and the pilot found that all of a sudden he could not meet his lover's eyes. Valentine leaned over and smacked him between the shoulder blades…there was laughter in his ruby gaze as a gentle hand lifted Highwind's chin till they were eye to eye. "I have no problem with what occurred last night, Cid…as a matter of fact…being an observer for a change…was an education in itself."

A sudden suspicion had Cid's eyes narrowing.

"When was he warmed up enough to "Change"?"

"Oh about half way through…but I resisted. What you were showing him was…important…and I am not talking about technique."

The pilot continued to smoke in silence for a moment.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Vincent stretched wincing as the movement pulled bruised muscle and bone.

"Physically…yes. It'll be a few days before he can fly again…and we are stiff and sore, but once you got his core temp. up Chaos' healing factor kicked in."

Cid just held the gunman's gaze until he sighed and looked away.

"Mentally…that is not so easily answered. What was done to us was just as traumatic to Chaos as it was for me. Unlike me…he has not had the support system…wanted or not…that my friends have provided. I think this is a step in the right direction. But until he is willing to open up…"

One lean shoulder lifted in a shrug and those ruby eyes were unhappy as the man looked into the fire's warm flame.

"Let's just say that after last night, Chaos seems more "stable" then he has been in the last few months…and that in itself is an improvement."

Cid reached over and pulled his lover's slender frame into a rough embrace brushing a kiss on the thin edge of one ear as he whispered.

"Its been a long, hard journey for you and it'll probably be the same for him…at least now with each step that he chooses to take…Chaos will know that he is not traveling this road alone. We will be here help him when he needs to cross over on thin ice."

The Captain stole a quick kiss on willing lips before giving the gunman a slight push.

" NOW…I am getting fricken cold… Why doncha help me find my Gods be damned shirt…and lets get our asses home."

* * *

I loved writing this...sigh...hope she comes back soon.


End file.
